Dear Coach Adam,

I am planning on getting in to town on the Thursday before the race and I was wondering if you could recommend some good and healthy places to eat while my family and I are in town.

James

Hanover, NH

Dear James,

I just wanted to clear up some word usage issues before we start. People are healthy; food is healthful. Now I can take off my pedantic pants and start talking about getting your healthful grub on. In order to organize my frantic thoughts on this subject we’ll start down in the Village of Oak Creek and move north through uptown and then head west through the rest of Sedona.

Desert Flour Bakery and Bistro () – If you feel like you might be a touch low on delicious carbs then this place needs to be your first stop. The Desert Flour is one of those places that makes you want to order dessert first…AND last. Their meals and amazing and they are probably the most reasonable priced establishment in the entire area. They also have a great beer and wine list for *ahem* after the race.

Elote () – This is where you get the Mexican food that no one realizes that people actually eat in Mexico. This place is the real deal when it comes to a truly authentic Mexican cuisine. Most of the stuff you can’t even pronounce, so you KNOW it’s good. You’ll want to get there early because they don’t take reservations and the last thing you want to do is make your glycogen depleted body wait for calories.

Heartline Café () – This is the place for your post-race recovery and celebration meal. The Heartline is the most formal (OK, it’s “Sedona formal” which means you have to at least wear a shirt during dinner…ever outside on the patio).

Picazzos () – What restaurant list would be complete without PIZZA! They offer an amazing thin crust for those people who want to avoid a carb coma. They also have salads, entrees, and gluten free options.

India Palace () – I know most people don’t associate Indian cuisine with marathons, but the lunch buffet makes for a perfect day-after-race recovery meal. I have eaten Indian cuisine all over the United States and throughout Europe, and this place is by far the best I have ever tasted.

I should point out that I have not been compensated or persuaded in any way as to which restaurants to include in this list. These are my personal favorites. Please feel free to email me if you need special suggestions (vegetarian, vegan, Kosher, steakhouse, etc).

Dear Coach,
I already have a few marathons under my belt (Chicago, New York, Phoenix) but I have never run one with as many hills as Sedona. What is your recommendation(s) for how to handle this type of terrain?
Sincerely,
Ralph,
San Diego, CA


Hey Ralphie-boy,
You know you’re in for a tough day when the course profile looks a lot like Artie Lange’s EKG reading. Running a hilly marathon course is a lot like college…it will usually take longer than you think AND it will be one of the most enjoyable things you will ever accomplish. The first thing to remember is that you will most likely not set a PR on a course like the Sedona Marathon (it is possible, just not likely). So with that in mind you may want to set your time goals accordingly; or better yet, don’t set a time goal at all and just enjoy the experience and the beauty of the course (there’s LOTS of that). In order to minimize your discomfort throughout the race you will want to trail on hills if possible. Hill training will help your body get used to the increased heart rate that you will have on the ascents. It will also help your body get used to the muscle pounding that your legs will feel on the descents. If you don’t have access to hills then speedwork and weight training can be a suitable substitute.

When you hit the climbs you will want to shorten your stride a bit and slow your cadence (that’s the number of times your foot hits the ground) so that your heart rate doesn’t get too high. You can either use a heart rate monitor to help you through this or just go off of feel (your body will let you know when your heart rate is getting too high). On some of the longer climbs it is best not to look at the top of the climb; just look down in front of you and try to let your mind wander…the hill will be over before you know what happened.

On the descents most people have a tendency to spread out their stride and try to run as fast as they can so they can make up the time from the slower ascents. This approach tends to lead to premature fatigue and increased soreness. Your muscles break down more from downhill running than they do from uphill running (eccentric muscle contraction versus concentric muscle contraction for all of you science geeks out there) so it pays to take the descents slower during the first half of the race. If you want to make up some time on the descents then keep your stride short and increase your cadence. You will most likely find that you can run at a faster speed while keeping down your heart rate.

Finally, if you want to get a feel for the hills then you will definitely want to take part in one or both of the free training runs that we will be hosting. Both of these runs will be held on the marathon course. The details of these free training runs will be posted soon on this marathon web page.

Thanks!!!
Coach Adam

Hey Coach!!!
My wife has already run 2 marathons and I want to join her for her next one. I have run a number of shorter races, but I have yet to complete a marathon. What is my first step?

Thanks,
Brad
Scottsdale, AZ


Brad,
Your first step is the easiest step…ya gotta find a race and plunk down your registration cash. This is a crucial step, because if you don’t register for something then you have no accountability to yourself to actually train and show up for the race. The act of registering for the race transforms the idea of doing a race with your wife into the reality of doing a race with your wife. Oh yeah, don’t forget to make sure that your wife registers as well (that reminds me of a time in college when we told people we were having a costume party and then decided last minute to drop the costume requirement…don’t let your wife trick you into registering alone or you’ll be like the one guy who didn’t get the memo and showed up to the party as the ONLY person in costume).

Now I can already hear you asking yourself, “which race should my wife and I enter?” Lucky fer you I just got this sweet new gig as the Official Coach for the Sedona Marathon (no doubt due to my good looks and shaved legs) and I can tell you that this is one of the most beautiful marathons in the country. You get amazing views, rolling hills, amazing views, wonderful volunteers, and amazing views. Believe me, the last thing you want to do is spend your first 26+ miles trapped between skyscrapers and rain gutters.

Oh yeah, after you register, don’t forget to tell your friends and family what you are planning to do…not because you need another reason for your mother-in-law to think you’re crazy, but because it helps with that whole accountability thing.

Coach Adam Gifford, owner of the Sedona Running Company, is the Official Race Coach for the Sedona  Marathon Event.  Coach Adam has been a sponsored athlete since 2007 and is currently a member of the prestigious La Sportiva Mountain Running Team. 

His current sponsors include: La Sportiva, Greenlayer Sports, 1st Endurance, Petzl, Ultimate Direction, Julbo Sunglasses, and Defeet. 


Other cool stuff about Adam:
- Owner of Premier Endurance Coaching, LLC ()
- USATF Track & Field Coach - Level 1
- USAC Cycling Coach - Level 3
- Member of the prestigious La Sportiva Mountain Running Team
- Product tester for Brooks Running
- Product tester for Popular Outdoor Outfitters
- Completed over 40 ultramarathons including a number of 100-mile finishes
- Completed over 50 road and trail races in distances between 5k and marathon
- Completed over 20 triathlons including 2 iron distance finishes

Coach Adam will answer your questions about training, give you the inside scoop on the Sedona Marathon course,  keep you updated on Sedona's running scene and provide training tips in this blog.  Whether your training for your first race, or looking to shave a few minutes off your PR, Adam will help.